Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, has called for stricter enforcement of health and safety measures at fuel stations, following reflections on the tragic June 3, 2015, disaster.
The incident, considered one of Ghana’s worst national tragedies, occurred when torrential rains caused severe flooding at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Floodwaters mixed with leaking fuel from a nearby GOIL fuel station, triggering a deadly explosion that claimed over 150 lives.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Wednesday, June 4, Tetteh-Agbotui said the disaster highlights the urgent need for reforms in how fuel stations are sited and monitored.
“I think that health and safety issues at filling stations must be strengthened and tightened and that is just how it is.”
She also questioned land sale practices in flood-prone areas, blaming poor regulation and oversight.
“Those who sell lands, if you know the land that you are selling is in an area liable to flood, why do you sell? And why are they also allowed to sell? It may be land owners, it may be families, it may be chiefs, but why are they allowed to sell in areas that are liable to floods? Who controls that?
The Deputy Minister reinforced the ongoing public discourse about the need for effective urban planning and stricter development controls to prevent such preventable disasters.
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